Field of the Invention
The current Prizm® MT ferrule produced by Applicant US Conec uses a highly collimated laser beam. The laser beam is approximately 180 microns in diameter. The current Prizm MT ferrule contains up to 64 fibers in one multi-fiber ferrule. The collimated beam, the small size of the collimated beam and the number of fibers present a number of concerns regarding eye safety.
There two eye safety standards from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The first is 60825-1, which is for the classification of a laser product. The second is 60825-2, used to determine the hazard level from an optical fiber communication system during the event such as a fiber break. The most stringent condition of the 2 standards should apply to determine the radiation hazard and human safety.
In order to comply with these standards, the fiber optic industry has sometimes used mechanical shutters to either block the collimated or diverging laser beams exiting the multi-fiber ferrule to mitigate the risk to a user's eye. The mechanical shutters add cost and require additional space in an already very small space. Sometimes electrical shutters are also used to prevent a significant amount of light from exiting from the connector unless both ends are plugged in. Instead of using either electrical or mechanical shutters, the present invention resolved the eye safety concerns optically, using the features of the multi-fiber ferrule to prevent the collimated laser beam from entering a person's eyes or at least reducing the amount of light that can possibly enter the light at any given time.